Spaghetti Squash Prima Vera

Today I tried spaghetti squash for the first time. It has a fraction of the calories of spaghetti and was a great 'mock' pasta dish. I'd definitely have it again on its own or as a vegetable side dish. It'd go fabulous with chicken parmigiana, I think.

I made it primavera style and while it didn't taste like spaghetti it was pretty awesome. It had the texture of cooked shredded potatoes and a really nice flavour. Here's how I made it:

Spaghetti Squash Primavera
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-1 spaghetti squash: microwave 8-12 minutes. Pierce with a fork several times and put in a dish with 1/4 cup of water. Turn spaghetti squash over half way during cooking.

-Halve the squash and separate the strands from the seeds

Meanwhile, in a frying pan sautee some slices of zucchini, pepper, and sundried tomato in oil.

Add spaghetti squash and a touch each of tomato sauce, spices, an ounce of shredded cheese, and stir fry for a few minutes.

Enjoy!

My Hubby's Favourite Baked Italian Sausage

Cooking your baked Italian Sausage in sauce all day can produce some mouth-watering results. The sauce from the pan turns out lovely with all the flavours from the sausage blended through. Here's how we do ours.

Mushrooms and peppers and lots of canned tomatoes with your favourite Italian sausage in a big casserole dish. We put in some olive oil, garlic, a spoon or two of sugar, lots of black pepper and some italian seasoning. Use a combination of tomato types (canned crushed, chunky, etc.) and even throw in some sun dried tomatoes if you fancy them.

Cook all day on low heat until sausages are cooked and serve with your favourite pasta.

A Fast Pasta Primavera

This 'a fasta pasta' dish can be done with alfredo sauce, rose sauce or a red sauce. This pasta primavera recipe calls for a red or blushed sauce. If you like to add meat, go for it!

Loads of chopped vegetables. Feel free to blanch ones that take a bit longer to cook. Here's what I used the last time I made this dish (today).

-Zucchini
-Carrots
-Red Pepper
-Orange Pepper
-Yellow Pepper
-Cremini Mushrooms
-Broccoli Flowerets

Sautee all vegetables in olive oil with lots of seasoning. I used Mrs. Dash, Italian Seasoning, Garlic, Seasalt, Fresh Black Pepper, Parsley.
When they vegetables are almost done, add a jar of your favourite sauce. You can use homemade or something prepared. My favourite is a light sauce with a bit of a tangy bite called Aurora Spicy Arrabbiata. I made a big batch so I also added a can of Aurora Plum Tomatoes and then a big handful of fresh (or jarred) Parmesan cheese.

Toss the sauce with freshly made pasta of your choice. Bow tie, Fusili or Rotini works great. Before I toss together I add a bit of cheese and butter to the pasta while it's still hot.